Morocco's King appoints Fatima Zahra Mansouri as first female Prime Minister

King Mohammed VI of Morocco appointed Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the new Prime Minister. This is the first time in Moroccan history that a woman has served as prime minister, and is considered a symbolic moment in Moroccan history.

99% of Morocco's population believes in Islam. After the "Arab Spring" in 2011, Morocco carried out constitutional reforms. Although the king continues to have the highest absolute power, is the head of state, the supreme commander of the armed forces, and has a decisive say in foreign and religious affairs, the administrative and legislative powers of the parliament and the government have been expanded. The new constitution stipulates that the prime minister shall be chosen by the party with the largest number of votes in parliamentary elections and appointed by the king.

In the Moroccan parliamentary election held on September 23, the centrist party "Party of Authenticity and Modernity" (PAM) led by Fatima Zahra Mansouri won 97 of 395 seats, ranking first among all parties.

Fatima Zahra Mansouri, 50, was born into a prominent family in Marrakech. She received a systematic legal education to become a lawyer and furthered her studies in France and the United States. She joined the Authenticity and Modernity Party in 2008 and was elected mayor of Marrakech twice in 2009 and 2021, becoming the city's first female mayor.

In 2021, Mansouri entered the Moroccan central government and served as minister in the fields of land planning, urban planning and housing. After the major earthquake in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2023, Mansouri went to the disaster area many times to contact the affected people and was widely praised.

Since forming a government requires an absolute majority in parliament, that is, at least 198 seats, the Authenticity and Modernity Party cannot form a government alone and needs to find a coalition partner. Whether Mansouri can quickly find a stable partner will be her first political test after taking office.

The outside world expects that the new government will implement policies to promote the economy and strive to resolve the disappointment of young people and alleviate the unemployment problem. From late July to early August this year, tens of thousands of Moroccans, mainly young men, poured into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, triggering the worst migrant crisis in recent years.

The new government will also face the task of organizing the 2030 World Cup. Morocco will co-host the event with Spain and Portugal.